Various speaking engagements and awards banquets had the manager of the World Series champion Astros constantly on the move. Combine those trips with attending several weddings and a family vacation, and Hinch stepped foot in at least 10 states and four foreign countries in the three months since hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy after Game 7 at Dodger Stadium.

Now that baseball is back, Hinch can settle in one place for six weeks. Before he departed for the Astros' spring training site in West Palm Beach, Fla., the fourth-year Houston manager spoke to The Athletic about his team's upcoming spring.

Jake Kaplan: Amid a busy offseason of the post-World Series banquet circuit and awards circuit, personally, when did you mentally flip the switch to 2018?

A.J. Hinch: Probably FanFest (on Jan. 13). It was the first time that we had the majority of our players back together. You start talking...

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